Thicker Than Water
by Dominae
Summary: Victoire has always been content to be a pawn in her father's political games, until she's given the chance to quit. But quitting has consequences, and in this game, they're deadly.


**Playlist: Something's Not Right Here- One Republic**

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><p>The sickly sweet stench of rotting flesh filled her nose, mingling with the sharp copper smell of blood. Her gaze drifted over the dried red smears on the stone floor, following the trail to the corpse on her work table. She lifted up the edges of her robes and gingerly walked towards the body, wrinkling her nose as her shoes touched the blood. She pulled a handkerchief out of her robes and held it over her face as she examined the man's corpse. He was filthy; even through the handkerchief and the aroma of decay, she could smell his unwashed body. His bones showed pathetically through his too-tight skin, his eyes were sightless and milky. Clearly, he was a beggar. And not even a successful one.<p>

Her hands began to tremble and she felt her heart began to beat faster as she stared at the body. She frowned and took as deep a breath as she dared, clenched her hands into fists to disguise the quaking, and turned to her colleagues behind her. Markus, the one that had reported the foul smell, wore an expression of disgust and horror, but the two guards, Antone and Jeril, simply appeared grim.

"This-" She gestured dismissively at the body, "is not mine."

Markus broke free from the group, stepping forward, his dark brows furrowed, eyes glinting with triumph at the scene.

"Not yours, Victoire? I doubt this man dragged himself to your laboratory. Did you even acquire him legally? Or have you started taking them off the streets?"

"Don't be an idiot, Markus. Someone has decided to remove me from the university. I might even believe you to be behind this, if you weren't incapable of planning such a plot."

She surveyed the room silently, searching for any damning evidence left behind. If her suspicions about the culprit were correct, then she knew that she would find nothing. He'd had years to perfect such schemes, and he had not wasted them. Her eyes fell on a book that rested on her desk. Its neat placement stood out amid the mess. That book, just like the corpse, had not been there the last time she visited. She picked it up, ignoring the guards' warning not to disturb the area and thumbed through the pages. Her crisp, small handwriting filled at least half the book with receipts from reputable bodyshops. The last entry caught her eye.

_Male. Age: Mid-fifties. COD: Starvation. Poor condition, but serviceable._

She slammed the book shut and tossed it to Antone.

"I believe this should at least clear me of murder, if not prevent my expulsion. If you don't mind, I wish to step outside."

Antone had opened the book and was scanning its pages. He nodded vaguely, motioning for Markus to accompany her, which he gladly did.

She removed the handkerchief as she left the building and took a deep, grateful breath of fresh air. She could feel Markus's eyes watching her intently.

"Feel free to gloat, Markus. I know more than half of the Guild will be glad to see a member of my family banned, no matter the circumstances."

He shook his head.

"I am glad to see justice done, not to see a good mage leave us..."

She promptly ignored him, turning her gaze to the flickering purple fire that lined the stairs of the Arcane University. Banned. Expelled. Thrown out of the very place that she had devoted her entire life to. Only her father could have pulled off such a convincing framing, but he was also the only one she could think of that had no reason to want her ruined. True, many of their conversations turned to quarrels, and their last fight had been particularly vicious, but she was simply more useful to him as a scholar at the University.

Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms as a familiar quiver of worry ran through her body. He was planning something that involved her, and she had no idea what it might be. With Traven's ascension to Archmage though, it was bound to be big. Perhaps father had another person set up to take the fall for framing her and hoped to secure her alliance by offering her her position back. The more she thought about it, the more she became certain that that was the truth. To have her completely under his control...that was a prize father had sought for years.

It felt as if the breath had been ripped from her body. If she refused his invitation after this, then it left him with only one last bargaining chip. Her life. She had no doubt that he would be furious enough to threaten her, possibly even furious enough to follow the threat through if she tried to call his bluff. And she didn't know if she could handle the consequences of joining whatever game he was playing.

"...not all of us take satisfaction in another's downfall."

Markus was still talking, oblivious to her inner turmoil. She focused her attention on him again and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She smiled soothingly at his startled expression and grasped his robe as he tried to take a step back.

"Please hold still, Markus."

She turned her mind inward, clearing her thoughts, summoning a feeling of bubbly joy, warm familiarity, the genuine happiness of being in the company of a friend. She held tightly onto the emotion, pulling it outward until it ran from her body to Markus. A slow, sleepy smile crossed his face and he covered her hand with his own.

She smiled back at him and removed her hand.

"Do you mind if I leave, Markus?"

He shook his head enthusiastically.

"Of course not, Vee. I'll miss you, though."

She winced inwardly at the nickname but continued smiling.

"I'll miss you too, Markus."

She hurried past him, anxious to leave. Father was counting on her staying for the hearing, counting on her fighting the charges. He'd given her a chance to finally make her own move. She wasn't about to let that slip away.

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><p><strong>This probably won't be updated for a while, I'm really just trying to see where I should prioritize it, based on reviews.<strong>


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